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May 27, 2012

How to Make a Good Street Fighter Movie

I fancy myself as a
writer, but it’s not often that I dream about any of my stories, or anything I
could possibly write about. (Unless I
just wrote about my gruesome, humiliating deaths, but that’d get boring after a
while.) But one night, I had a flash of
insight. I could see something that
could propel me to the highest echelon of the literary world.

And then I woke up, and
forgot about it. And when I slept again,
I started dreaming about Street Fighter.

It was when I woke up
that morning that I started to wonder: “Why isn’t there a good Street Fighter movie?” Or to be more specific, a
universally-approved SF movie. While I wouldn’t call it “good” by any
stretch of the imagination, I found the 90s movie to be an enjoyable (if
moronic) romp with a fair bit of spirit.
The Legend of Chun-Li,
meanwhile, was a soul-sucking abyss.
Boring, inaccurate, clichéd, and embarrassing for everyone involved --
actors and audience alike -- it’s become a cautionary tale on why you don’t
make movies out of video games.

On one hand, a SF movie should be easy to make. People gather for a tournament. They fight.
Military guys go up against supervillains. Fireballs are thrown, answers are found in
the heart of battle, roll credits.
Simple. Make it about the fighting,
not about the military. Be decisive
about how you use the spiritual aspects of the franchise (fireballs, hundred
hands, etc.); don’t try to make it realistic yet feature a subplot about a
child born by sacrificing your good half and winning the climactic battle by
shooting bad CG effects. Treat the
series with respect and decorum, but have a little fun with the proceedings;
this is a series that now features a 500-pound karate man that can blast you
into the stratosphere.

On the other hand, a SF movie presents a lot of
challenges. Who do you put in the movie,
out of the dozens of fighters available?
How do you make some of the fancier moves viable and at least vaguely
entertaining in live-action? How do you
pound out a plot when Capcom itself is pretty meh on the subject? How do you add something meaningful to the
characters without distorting them into, say, news reporters or pianists out
for blood? How do you create something
that appeases the fans, but doesn’t alienate people who aren’t entrenched in
the franchise -- and therefore, earn those sweet, sweet Bison Dollars?

I have a few
theories. And I stress theories -- these aren’t exactly
foolproof guarantors of success, but I think there’s at least a little merit to
them. After all, the last thing I want
is for SF fans to inherit a big
problem.

Man, that movie was
painful.

Step One: Characters

This would be a movie
that could thaw the hearts of twice-wronged fans; this would be a movie that
they want and would approve of. Given
that, every major player needs to be in the right place.

Ryu, Ken, Chun-Li and
Guile are the four main characters. No
exceptions. Likewise, Ryu isthe main character. That’s the
way Capcom’s playing it, and that’s the way the movie should, too. It’s not 100% his movie and no one else
matters, but he’s given his fair share of the focus. The Four Kings are also necessary -- Bison,
Sagat, Vega, and Balrog. Bison’s the
villain, Sagat is Ryu’s rival, and Vega and Balrog make trouble with the rest
of the Shadaloo force. Zangief, Blanka,
Dhalsim and Honda would be there too -- gotta have someone to fight -- but they
wouldn’t necessarily drive the plot.

Cammy, Fei Long, Dee Jay, and T. Hawk would maybe get a brief fight in
or a cameo, or a slight reference, but that’s it. Everyone else is banned from screen
time. Maybe you’d see a picture of Dan
in a flyer, or Guy and Cody in a quick shot on the streets, or Hugo on TV, but
there needs to be a tight focus on the characters that matter. That (among other things) was a fault of the
’94 film -- shoving in a ton of characters, but making their overall impact
negligible. Fans don’t need to see every
character, because they have the games; newbies could get overwhelmed, and
plot-wise the focus could get diluted.
If Legend of Chun-Li did
anything right, it was to hold back on shoehorning Birdie and Sodom into the
run time.

Step Two: Plot

All’s well in New York
City, and its dwellers are enjoying another cool night in the big apple…that
is, unto Shadaloo forces start air-dropping en masse. Wreaking havoc and corralling citizens, it’s
not long before the overwhelming Shadaloo numbers take the city. Leading the charge -- with his fellow Kings
by his side -- Bison stands tall amongst his beaten foes, making sure to give
one rebellious New Yorker a taste of Psycho Power.

Flash forward a few
months, and Bison’s control over New York -- which he’s renamed Shadaloo City
(or something evil like that) -- remains undisputed. Repelling enemy forces by the thousands, he
has his men construct new buildings throughout the city. While the world’s governments watch with
frustration, and the people grow ever more fearful of the name “Shadaloo,”
Bison makes an announcement: he’s hosting a tournament. Fighters from all over the world will be
permitted to enter and compete against one another (including against Bison
himself), all for the chance to earn a massive cash prize…and, as the dictator goads,
a chance to unravel Shadaloo from the inside out. Wary but hungry for glory, it’s not long
before fighters assemble and head into the city -- for money, for justice, and
to a rare few, a good fight.

Bison’s real plan, of
course, is to harness the energy -- the very souls -- of the incoming fighters
and use it to power his Psycho Drive, a machine that will allow him to become
an immortal, invincible god. Because…you
know, power and insanity, and nothing’s ever good enough for these supervillain
types. With his tech in place, Bison can
remotely tell if there’s a strong fighter coming into town (like Ryu) or just
some chump soldier about to engage in a mission (like Sawada), and have his
soldiers off them from afar. So no
cheating on that front; only fighters are allowed in.

Fortunately, there’s
plenty of overlap between strong fighters and duty-bound soldiers. Guile and Chun-Li are sent in as
representatives of their respective organizations, and quickly decide to work
together -- outside of a clash here and there -- to stop Bison. Ryu’s heading there to fight a good fight
(and save the world by happenstance, maybe), and Ken’s along for the ride
too. Whatever the case, they’ll have to
prove themselves and save the day the only way they know how: with some good
ol’ kung-fu fighting.

Step Three: Setting

It’s New York
City. Moving on…

…Okay, it’s a little
more complicated than that. Believing
that the environment draws out a distinctive reaction from fighters (i.e. more
power to harvest for his Psycho Drive), Bison’s
had his men litter Shadaloo City with special arenas --synthetic creations that
mimic a fighter’s homeland. Inevitably,
there WILL be actual fighting in a street for once, but the idea is to create
“stages” that make nods to the game series.
A Japanese-styled arena for Honda (complete with bath house!), Balrog’s
casino, Dhalsim’s…elephant garage, the works.
Of course, not all the fighting will take place in these arenas;
sometimes there just has to be a back-alley brawl, or a clash atop a
building. What’s important is that these
areas are diverse and vibrant; much like any SF stage, they’re pleasant to look at but don’t get in the way of
the actual fighting.

Also, I would give any
director fifteen million bonus points if they decided to set the movie in the
nineties. Because…hey, why the hell not?

Step Four:Music

The themes we’ve been
listening to for twenty years now, given a shot of steroids from Iron Man composer Ramin Djawadi. In case you didn’t know, he made a song like
this.

Imagine hearing Guile’s
theme set to the same style, exploding in your face like a flash grenade as the
family man makes his stand. Or
alternatively, have a gentler version of Ken’s theme play when he’s reminiscing
about Eliza. Even a few notes from the
song would be fine -- just enough for a fan to perk up his ears, and enthrall
the average movie-goer. And the minutes
leading into the end credits, unconditionally, would feature an orchestrated
version of the Street Fighter 2 intro
theme. Extended a bit, slowed down, and
given all the bombast you’d expect from, say, a John Williams piece.

Step Five: Tone and Depth

Street Fighter is not a series to be taken too seriously (take
notes, Legend of Chun-Li). As many of you know, this is a series full of
wacky characters and happenings -- people who should be dead suddenly coming
back to life, spinning kicks played straight, wrestler after wrestler after
wrestler, and anything related to Blanka.
There should be a spirit to it, a sort of tongue-in-cheek air about
things. A bit of comedy here and there,
an aside glance or two, something to inject the levity we expect from the
series.

What I’m getting at is
that the movie should have the same general feel as one of the Marvel superhero
movies. Iron Man goes up against a guy
with no shirt and laser whips, but that’s never played detrimentally. There’s a spirit of humor throughout, BUT it
pays respect to the source material as it should. In the same sense that a red and gold suit of
metal is shown as a viable weapon (superior tech, if you will), so too should a
Hadouken be treated as an acceptable commonality.

Of course, that’s not
to say it should be a complete farce. Iron Man may have featured a man flying
around in metal pajamas and a tie-flipping Jeff Bridges, but it arguably
offered an examination of what it meant to be a hero, taking responsibility for
one’s actions, and overcoming one’s weaknesses and vices for the sake of
others. This movie should (and would) do
the same. Besides the obvious need to
adhere to canon -- Ryu as a con-artist is unforgivable
-- there has to be something that gives it merit and gravitas. It’d be a movie based on a video game, but
that shouldn’t be any excuse to treat it as a lesser product; fleeting as it
may be, it still has a story. It
shouldn’t just be one cool fight after another (though that’d certainly help). Who are these people? Why should we care about them? So what if there’s a supervillain on the
loose? What makes all these people
tick? Why is fighting so important? These are all questions that this
hypothetical movie would have to answer.
If it can’t, then it’s shallow and hardly better than the games they’re
based on.

The movie needs to show
what it’s like to be dedicated to fighting -- something that Ryu in a lead role
could provide. What’s it like traveling
from place-to-place, living only for the next battle? How does he survive from day to day? What has he had to sacrifice in order to
adhere to that lifestyle -- a home, a family, a job, friends? What is it that he’s gained -- that any
street fighter has gained -- from putting their faith in their fists? It’s a chance to examine the real-world
applications of such a lifestyle, which can be used for both a few laughs or
for some meaningful questions.
Similarly, the characters could play off each other; Ken’s millionaire
playboy lifestyle (and in the movie, a sense of practicality and pragmatism)
could offer a contrast -- Ken has things Ryu may never have, but the reverse is
also true. The same goes for Ryu and
Sagat; Ryu could show the light side of street fighting, and Sagat, while not
necessarily evil, can show just how easy it is to fall from grace. Guile, Chun-Li, and Bison can all play off
each other, as the military-minded folks motivated by revenge, justice, or
power. And in spite of their lesser
roles, the other fighters could contribute something as well. They, like everyone else, can help answer the
movie’s main question: what does it mean to be a street fighter?

The end result should
be obvious. Some people will see the
movie and think, “That’s it! I’m
quitting my job and becoming a drifting karate man/wrestler!” Others will see the movie and think, “Oh
man…I had no idea Ryu’s life was so sad and empty…” It should be a movie that engages people,
provoking them into asking their own questions.
The fights themselves will be important (as they should be), but it’s
those questions that’ll keep the movie and the SF mythos fresh on viewers’ minds.

Although…

Step Six: The Fights

You knew this was
coming, right? I mean, come on…as if
Vega and Zangief would resort to diplomacy
to settle their disputes.

First of all, shaky-cam
and Zack Snyder slow-mo are kept to a minimum.
People want to be able to see the fights. People want the fights to be quick and
effective, not slllllllllllllloooooooooooowwwwwwed doooooooooooooown then
spedupreallyreallyfastholycow. The same
applies to excessive CG and 3D effects; it’s all right to show things like a
Hadouken or Yoga Flame, but I don’t want to see bodies going all Jar Jar Binks
on me. The fights need to have a sort of
visceral nature to them; they need to be crafted so that we feel every punch
and kick. You know, something like this.

Each character’s
fighting style and strategy has to be reflected. Consider Ryu’s stance versus Ken’s stance in
the games; both have the expected bounce, but Ryu’s is slower and calmer, while
Ken’s moves at a faster tempo -- he has more of a spirit to him. Nuances like that should be reflected, from
stances to fighting styles. Zangief’s a
wrestler that wants to get close to you and grapple, and show off his iron
body. Chun-Li’s got those rapid kicks
that batter anyone that underestimates her or her resolve. Honda can close the distance in a half-second
with a hot-blooded charge. Guile keeps
his guard up, but isn’t afraid to bust out his spinning backfist, rolling
sobat, and of course his Flash Kick. Generally
speaking, there should be a mix of those fantastic elements and realistic ones.

Also, weapons and
special equipment are not to be used except by Vega and random Shadaloo
soldiers. You’d think this would be
obvious, but considering that we’ve had Balrog using a rocket launcher and
Bison using hoverboots, I just thought I’d make that clear.

Step Seven: The Actual Movie Stuff

I’ll be the first to
admit that this is where I stumble most.
The nuances behind a story are what I excel in crafting, but when it
comes to a movie’s particulars I’m out of my depth. I will say this, though: personally, I
wouldn’t mind if the guys behind Kick-Ass
handled the movie.

I found that movie to
be surprisingly good (earning a strange look from my mom when I admitted “It
was probably the best movie I’ve seen in a while). It was a good mix of action, comedy, and
drama; while I haven’t read the comic book, the fact that these people could
create an enjoyable (and presumably accurate) adaption makes me think that my
faith wouldn’t be misplaced.

So who would play the
street fighters? My answer is a
resounding “I dunno.” The obvious
qualifiers would have to be “can fight” -- though I guess they’d make use of
stunt doubles in some cases -- and “can act” but I suspect there are a lot of
particulars that need to be ironed out.
Preferably, the actors should match the character’s nationalities (Ryu
and Chun-Li should be Japanese and Chinese, or at worst someone of Eastern
descent), but I suppose it wouldn’t be a total deal-breaker if they
weren’t.

This whole section is
tentative, so I’ll leave it to you readers -- and various dreamers across the net --to make your suggestions. Perhaps
Morgan Freeman playing Blanka would be a good choice…

Step Eight: Franchise Baiting

Hollywood gets a lot of
flak, but in the end it can’t be helped; it’s a business more so than a
creative outlet. Plenty of people want
bankable names that can bring people in, and use it as a foundation for a
fanbase. Street Fighter, by virtue of its recognizable and much-adored name,
shows promise. And with the right moves,
we fans could have a franchise that sees a sequel or two.

There’s a reason that I
suggested a limit on the characters introduced in this movie; they have to save
something for the sequel. If Cammy, Fei
Long, Dee Jay and T. Hawk don’t get their dues in this movie, the next one can
put them closer to the main four. Threads
lightly touched upon in the first movie -- how far a fighter fan fall, and the
darkness lurking inside Ryu -- can manifest into Akuma being the main villain of
the second movie. With Street Fighter 4 taking place between 2
(memories which this movie is designed to invoke) and the vaguely-distant 3, it’s a chance to show the motion from
one canon to the next…though hopefully, movie-makers will have the sense to
stop before realizing that it’s time to put Necro and Oro on the silver screen.

What’s important,
though, is that the first movie is good.
It has to offer something that’d satisfy fans, but not utterly alienate
the average movie-goer. It has to be something
with spectacle, but a level of depth that the games haven’t focused on
conveying. It needs to show respect to
the source material and viewers alike; it needs to blend the real and the
fantastic; most of all, it needs to be FUN.

That’s not TOO much to
ask, is it Hollywood? So…that means
you’re ready to give me money, right?
Contact me on Twitter when you’re ready to pound out the details. Lord knows I got plenty of ideas to milk…

You know what, this is actually a really good and well thought out idea but I think it's wasted on street fighter. Even if you did manage to somehow make it, then the producers, studios and of course almighty Capcom would immediately try to get their hands in the pie, ruining the idea.

What you should do, instead, is use this idea to set up something wholly your own. That would kick ass and be well...way easier.

That's...actually a really good point. While I came up with the idea for the sake of pleasing fans first and foremost, if Capcom did get involved (especially the Capcom of late), it could be...well, problematic.